1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to sterile drapes for fluoroscopy equipment, and more particularly to fastening mechanisms configured to attach sterile drapes to a fluoroscopy C-arm.
2. Related Art
It is common to apply sterilized drapes to medical equipment used in medical procedures to prevent having to sterilize the equipment itself. The drapes present an external sterile surface to facilitate the avoidance of contaminating a patient. Though desirable to apply sterilized drapes to various types of medical equipment, it can prove challenging and costly to apply the drapes to the equipment due to the configurations of the medical equipment and the drapes themselves.
One such type of medical equipment typically requiring sterile drapes to be applied thereto is known as a fluoroscopy C-arm imaging unit. In particular, the fluoroscopy C-arm imaging unit typically requires a bag-shaped drape about an upper imaging head, a bag-shaped drape about a lower imaging head and a drape about an inner surface of a C-shaped arm, referred to as “C-arm”, of the unit.
The C-arm is commonly provided having a generally rectangular shape, as viewed in lateral cross-section, with opposite flat inner and outer surfaces (though extending in arced fashion) extending between opposite flat sides. During an imaging procedure, the arced inner surface in exposed toward the patient, and thus, it is most important that the inner surface be covered by the sterile C-arm drape. To facilitate attaching a sterile drape to cover the inner surface, the opposite sides of the C-arm are provided with a groove extending along the length of the C-arm. The groove is configured for receipt of tabs on opposite arms of a clip to which the C-arm drape is fixed. Accordingly, the tabs on the clip must be oriented properly on the arms and sized properly for receipt in the respective grooves. Further, the arms of the clip must be laterally spaced from one another a predetermined distance to extend immediately adjacent the opposite sides of the C-arm for the tabs to be received in the grooves. However, C-arms come in a variety of widths, the distance extending between the opposite sides, and thus, the clips are produced having different widths, the distance extending between the opposite arms, for application specific use. Accordingly, one size clip is generally suitable for use with a specific width C-arm and not a different width C-arm. As such, a supply of the different size clips must be maintained, depending on the type and size of C-arms being used. Having to provide grooves in the sides of the C-arm adds cost to the manufacture process of the C-arm, and further, can provide a location for the buildup of contamination. In addition, having to stock and/or order a specific size drape clip, depending on the size of the C-arm, can increase inventory requirements and costs associated therewith. In addition, the proper size drape clip must be ordered and received, otherwise, if a mistake in ordering or delivery is made, the drape clip may not function with the C-arm.
A drape clip constructed in accordance with the invention at least overcomes those disadvantages of known drape clips discussed above, as well as others disadvantages, as will be apparent to one possessing ordinary skill in the art upon viewing the disclosure herein.